Kai Unpacks Her Personal Lyrics On Flume’s “Never Be Like You”

“We all make mistakes, every one of us.”

Kai’s been making waves in recent months. The Toronto-based singer-songwriter first popped on our radar in 2015, when she lent her emotive vocals to Jack Ü’s “Mind.” Now she’s teamed up with Flume for “Never Be Like You,” the lead single from the buzzing Australian electronic producer’s much anticipated sophomore album, Skin.

The lyrics Kai wrote for “Never Be Like You” are incredibly personal, detailing an intimate moment of self-reflection and remorse. Read her thoughts below, and check out her full annotations on the song page here.

Kai: “Sometimes the head rules the heart, and sometimes the heart rules the head—it’s a constant struggle to work out which one is right.

“I question things a lot, and sometimes that leads me to self-sabotage and to be in denial about the opportunity of happiness in front of my own eyes. Sometimes it’s easier to take the route of pain and let the ego overrule all.”

Kai: “Sometimes you get trapped in a moment and it gives you some clarity. ‘Never Be Like You’ is one of those moments: a split second of attraction that turns into the realization that what I already have or have had is far more real and meaningful than what’s happening in that moment.”

Kai: “Relationships are like everything in life: Just because you’re deeply in love with a person it doesn’t stop you from being blinded momentarily by someone else. It’s trying to recognize that trait and fight that instinct that I’m getting at here.”

Kai: “We all make mistakes, every one of us. And if you love someone and they truly love you, you would hope they can accept you with all those flaws that every single one of us has.

“Here the realization stage has hit home, and I’m just wanting reassurance and forgiveness from the person that really has my heart. There’s no such thing as perfection, but we can all try to be better people, can’t we?”